Student Spotlight - Katherina De Leon, Living the Moroccan Way

Mohammedia has a community that is warm and beautiful. On the first day, my host family and I walked through the neighborhood holding hands, and they introduced us to Moroccan music. On the third night, we exchanged Mexican and Moroccan dancing. On the fourth night, we stayed up laughing, communicating through a translator and hand signals. There are no barriers in our love for each other; we have become family from being a host family.

Since I’ve gotten here, my host family has been nothing but welcoming and incredibly loving. I came to Morocco with an open mind and ready to immerse myself in this foreign culture by trying anything. One of the first experiences I said “yes” to was a Hammam without knowing what it was. My roommate and I walked in, mouths dropped and eyes wide. We had no idea what we just said “yes” to. However, as time went on, we felt comfortable with our family in this completely different cultural experience. The beauty of a Hammam was the community aspect. We washed each other's backs and hair. To be able to share these parts of yourself by being vulnerable with a community of women is a rare occurrence. It shows the warmth and support they have for one another.

The entire week, we’ve stayed up with our host family conversing, dancing, and spending quality time together. I’m incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to immerse myself in Moroccan culture and I’m even luckier to have a beautiful family to show me their community.

Written by Katherina De Leon